An afternoon at the RMV and an afternoon by a lake

The day after I arrived, my local friend Charles and I went to the RMV and completed all of the paperwork required for the sale of the van; the legal and business end of things must be properly sorted, of course. Since weird little glitches and unexpected loopholes can often lead to setbacks and delays in these situations, I hoped for the best and figured there could well be tangles to unweave once we got there. There was a moment of confusion when my insurance company back home requested that we follow a labryrinthine process involving much overnight mailing and daytime trips to RMVs for my busy husband back home. But wiser (or more forgiving) heads exist in Colorado-we got my temporary 60 day Colorado plate (tag). No inpsection, no questions asked, really. No one will know I'm from MA by my vehicle, which I like---driving under the radar a bit.

While inside drinking coffee that morning, I listened to the "David Byrne and Brian Eno" station on Pandora (which I adore), and it made me happy indeed. I then walked several loops around the lake, maybe 3 miles or so. Warm, but windy, and once the sun went down low under the tree line, it got very chilly. Had the best burger that I have *ever* eaten! "Choice City", right here in Fort Collins; fabulous. Big, moist, great flavor, perfectly cooked.

Have been buddying around and seeing FC with my pal Charles, and I also met Bob, another employee here. Bob is helping Charles with the blocked shower drain (and its fallout) here in my cabin away from home. Bob is an old character with lots of stories to tell, and the insight and sensibilities of an ex-hippie holdout, living life on the simple edges, and being happy and open while doing it. I enjoyed chatting with him on my cement patio on the rocking iron lawn furniture, and he did a fine job cleaning up the shower floor after the heavier work. The scene almost seemed lifted from the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance".

This was all while killing time awaiting a call from "Tim" the fellow who has been doing interior work on the van for us pre-purchase. His call was delayed, and their were issues with the vehicle that had to be dealth with on the spot once we were in place to see it, such as a locked up driver's seatbelt, lighting issues, and other smallish but important things that were missed. Once I had the vehicle and plates, we went for a spin! I'll be receiving a full tutorial and demos from Charles, the seller of the van, who claims that I will be thorougly competent on hooking up the utilities and all sorts after a few hours. Oh boy! I haven't yet made a factoid sheet for myself, with all the major points written down, because I've been fed a lot of info, and I don't want to be confuzzled on the road. I imagine Charles will get a text or two with questions from me as I make my way, particularly in the beginning.

The following day (Saturday) we went on a lot of errands, and we had the vanI I needed to purchase more bedding (I do like a lot of pillows!) for both lodge and the van, and a few other sundries, cleaning supplies, etc. Had an interesting meal at an "American Restaurant" as Charles called it; I ordered yummy nachos and brought home some pie.

Sunday was Meineke day. Only needed an oil change and a fluid check, enough to get me 100 miles or so to Denver. When I arrive in Denver, five boxes of stuff that I mailed from home will be waiting for me, and we'll get the car to a full service garage that is going to give the vehicle "the works". Tires, brakes, engine, new wipers, all systems checked. When it is finished, then Kathy and I will set to work on making my house on wheels a HOME. I really looking forward to making it both cozy and lovely.

I'll miss my cozy little lodge here. But so many adventures call; onward!